A baker had two daughters who were as different as night and day. Oh, they looked alike, all right. In fact, they were twins. You could hardly tell one from the other, except for the expressions on their faces.
Mindy was almost always smiling. Her forehead was clear, her eyebrows were uplifted, and her eyes danced. Mindy was a kind and generous girl. Her laughter was like pretty little bells that tinkled gently on the listener's ear.
Mandy, on the other hand, was always frowning. The only time she smiled was when something bad happened to someone she was jealous of or, for a minute, when she got a gift she especially liked. Mandy's eyebrows were often arched over her eyes, looking like dark wings, and her eyes snapped with bad temper. Mandy was stingy and mean. Her laughter was sharp—and it was usually directed at someone else.
One winter evening, Mindy was working in her father's bakery. She was enjoying the warmth that the ovens gave off and the warm, happy smells of breads, cakes, and pies baking. The door blew open, and a raggedy old woman wrapped up in a dark cloak entered the bakery. "May I come in out of the wind?" she asked. "It is so warm in here."
"Yes, of course," said Mindy. She couldn't imagine saying no on a wintry night like this. "Why, look at this," said Mindy after the old woman had settled herself on a stool. "There's some dough left over from the last loaf I baked. Shall I bake it up for you so you may have a bite to eat?"
"Why, thank you," said the raggedy old woman, closing her eyes. The old lady fell asleep because of the warmth of the ovens.
When Mindy opened the oven, the dough had doubled in size to make a big loaf of bread. Mindy was happy for the old lady. She gently woke her up and handed the bread to her on a brightly checked, clean napkin. Beneath the dark hood of the cloak, Mindy saw that the old woman had a warm and kindly face, shining with gratitude and good cheer for her. In fact, in spite of all the wrinkles, her face seemed to be full of light. The old woman said, "Because you are generous, life will be generous with you." And it seemed to be so. Whenever the baker left Mindy to run the bakery, the baked goods multiplied, and so did their customers.
Then one night, still in winter, Mandy, the baker's mean daughter, was working in the bakery. The wind blew the door open, and the same raggedy old woman, wrapped in the same dark cloak, came in. "May I come in out of the wind?" she asked. "It is so warm in here."
"I guess so," snarled the baker's mean daughter. "If you must." She thought to herself, "It's not that cold outside!"
After a few minutes of smelling all the wonderful smells of the bakery, the old woman asked, "Would there be a morsel of leftover dough to bake in the oven that I might eat?"
"I suppose so," said Mandy. "But, mind, there isn't much!" She tore off a little bit of dough and put it in the oven. The old lady fell asleep because of the warmth.
When Mandy opened the oven, the dough had doubled in size to make a big loaf of bread. What was more, it was full of sugar, plump raisins, and other berries.
"It's too much and too good for her," muttered Mandy, and she took it out and hid it while the old woman appeared to sleep.
The old woman opened her eyes. "Did my little bit of bread dough bake?" she asked.
To hide what she'd done, Mandy decided to turn it into a joke. "Hoo-hoo!" laughed Mandy. "Hoo-hoo on you! It burned up, and I've no more to spare."
The old woman let a little bit of her face show under the dark cloak's hood. Mandy could not be sure, but she thought she saw light shining from the old woman's face.
"Because you are not generous, life will not be generous with you," she said. "You have dark thoughts about other people, so you shall live in darkness. And, from now on, you won't be able to say anything but 'Hoo-hoo!"
Mandy's dark, angry eyebrows turned into long, dark wings. Then her whole body turned into that of an an owl. Screeching, "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" she flew out into the cold, windy night and was never heard from again.
Objectives
Cognitive: Students will understand the value and benefit of being kind and polite to everyone, regardless of a person’s appearance.
Affective: Students will appreciate Mindy’s good manners and kindness. They will not want to be like Mandy.
Behavioral: Students will compare Mindy and Mandy’s characters. Students will identify what was good about Mindy’s character and what was bad about Mandy’s character. Students will state the maxims, “Because you are generous, life will be generous with you,” and “What you give out comes back to you,” and “What goes around comes around.”
Read the story together
Tell the students that the class will be reading this story together, so have them turn to the right page. Introduce the story by telling them that there is magic in this tale of twin sisters. Then explain that the only real magic in life is love. Call on students to read a few lines at a time.
Similarities and differences
After reading the story, tell the students that the class will make a list of how the sisters were different. Draw two circles that partly overlap. Put the name of one of the sisters at the top of the right and left circles. Explain that the part where the circles overlap will list the ways in which Mindy and Mandy were alike.
Class discussion
Ask students to look through the story and raise their hands to tell you differences and similarities between the two girls. Write down the traits they name in the appropriate place on the diagram.
Ask: “Think about yourself. Are you more like Mindy or Mandy?” Tell them they don’t have to answer out loud. Then say, “If you are more like Mandy, do you think it’s possible to change? Mandy turned into an owl, but do you think she could have changed the way she acted instead and turned into a nice person like her sister?” Listen to their responses.
Tell students that there is an old saying, “What you give out comes back to you.” Ask them to say it out loud together, and tell them that you want them to remember this saying. Call on students to tell you how this saying is a summary of the message of “The Owl.” Ask them to find a sentence near the end of the story that says the same thing. Affirm that it is: “Because you are not generous, life will not be generous with you.” Mention that earlier in the story, the old woman says to Mindy, ”Because you are generous, life will be generous with you.”
Another old saying that means the same thing is “What goes around comes around.” You can show this with a diagram drawn on the board. Say, “Mindy gives love and kindness to others, so others give love and kindness to her. That is why there are always customers in the shop and the baked goods multiply when Mindy is tending the bakery.”
Questions
Ask the students to read the story on their own and answer the Questions at the end. Define the following vocabulary before they read: arched, stingy, raggedy, dough, and checked (the adjective):
1. Mindy and Mandy were very different. Can you name five ways they were different from one another?
2. Whom would you rather run into on a cold, wintry night? Mindy or Mandy?
3. If you are a girl, which one would you like to be: Mindy or Mandy? If you are a boy, which one would you like to marry? Mindy or Mandy?
4. Of course, we know no person is going to turn into an owl. But do you think a person’s future might be changed—for good or bad—depending on how nice he or she is to other people?
5. Is it right to laugh at other people’s bad luck and not want to help them when they are in need?
Act out the story
This would be a good story to act out. Have several different actresses play Mindy, Mandy, and the old ragged woman. Perhaps do the story three times, and then have the rest of the class vote on which group conveyed the message of the story best.
Assignment
The old woman in the story seemed to have magical powers. She changed the bread dough into a larger loaf of bread, she seemed to bless Mindy with the ability to multiply baked goods and customers, and she turned Mandy into an owl. Think about this: Whenever you meet someone, imagine that person has magical powers. Try treating everyone kindly, the way Mindy treated the old woman.
From Discovering the Real Me, Book 3
Share your experiences by clicking on the "Discussion" box at the top of this page and then clicking on "+ New Post." Your comments will appear below.
Story
Table of Contents
Mindy was almost always smiling. Her forehead was clear, her eyebrows were uplifted, and her eyes danced. Mindy was a kind and generous girl. Her laughter was like pretty little bells that tinkled gently on the listener's ear.
Mandy, on the other hand, was always frowning. The only time she smiled was when something bad happened to someone she was jealous of or, for a minute, when she got a gift she especially liked. Mandy's eyebrows were often arched over her eyes, looking like dark wings, and her eyes snapped with bad temper. Mandy was stingy and mean. Her laughter was sharp—and it was usually directed at someone else.
One winter evening, Mindy was working in her father's bakery. She was enjoying the warmth that the ovens gave off and the warm, happy smells of breads, cakes, and pies baking. The door blew open, and a raggedy old woman wrapped up in a dark cloak entered the bakery. "May I come in out of the wind?" she asked. "It is so warm in here."
"Yes, of course," said Mindy. She couldn't imagine saying no on a wintry night like this. "Why, look at this," said Mindy after the old woman had settled herself on a stool. "There's some dough left over from the last loaf I baked. Shall I bake it up for you so you may have a bite to eat?"
"Why, thank you," said the raggedy old woman, closing her eyes. The old lady fell asleep because of the warmth of the ovens.
When Mindy opened the oven, the dough had doubled in size to make a big loaf of bread. Mindy was happy for the old lady. She gently woke her up and handed the bread to her on a brightly checked, clean napkin. Beneath the dark hood of the cloak, Mindy saw that the old woman had a warm and kindly face, shining with gratitude and good cheer for her. In fact, in spite of all the wrinkles, her face seemed to be full of light. The old woman said, "Because you are generous, life will be generous with you." And it seemed to be so. Whenever the baker left Mindy to run the bakery, the baked goods multiplied, and so did their customers.
Then one night, still in winter, Mandy, the baker's mean daughter, was working in the bakery. The wind blew the door open, and the same raggedy old woman, wrapped in the same dark cloak, came in. "May I come in out of the wind?" she asked. "It is so warm in here."
"I guess so," snarled the baker's mean daughter. "If you must." She thought to herself, "It's not that cold outside!"
After a few minutes of smelling all the wonderful smells of the bakery, the old woman asked, "Would there be a morsel of leftover dough to bake in the oven that I might eat?"
"I suppose so," said Mandy. "But, mind, there isn't much!" She tore off a little bit of dough and put it in the oven. The old lady fell asleep because of the warmth.
When Mandy opened the oven, the dough had doubled in size to make a big loaf of bread. What was more, it was full of sugar, plump raisins, and other berries.
"It's too much and too good for her," muttered Mandy, and she took it out and hid it while the old woman appeared to sleep.
The old woman opened her eyes. "Did my little bit of bread dough bake?" she asked.
To hide what she'd done, Mandy decided to turn it into a joke. "Hoo-hoo!" laughed Mandy. "Hoo-hoo on you! It burned up, and I've no more to spare."
The old woman let a little bit of her face show under the dark cloak's hood. Mandy could not be sure, but she thought she saw light shining from the old woman's face.
"Because you are not generous, life will not be generous with you," she said. "You have dark thoughts about other people, so you shall live in darkness. And, from now on, you won't be able to say anything but 'Hoo-hoo!"
Mandy's dark, angry eyebrows turned into long, dark wings. Then her whole body turned into that of an an owl. Screeching, "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" she flew out into the cold, windy night and was never heard from again.
Objectives
Cognitive: Students will understand the value and benefit of being kind and polite to everyone, regardless of a person’s appearance.Affective: Students will appreciate Mindy’s good manners and kindness. They will not want to be like Mandy.
Behavioral: Students will compare Mindy and Mandy’s characters. Students will identify what was good about Mindy’s character and what was bad about Mandy’s character. Students will state the maxims, “Because you are generous, life will be generous with you,” and “What you give out comes back to you,” and “What goes around comes around.”
Read the story together
Tell the students that the class will be reading this story together, so have them turn to the right page. Introduce the story by telling them that there is magic in this tale of twin sisters. Then explain that the only real magic in life is love. Call on students to read a few lines at a time.Similarities and differences
After reading the story, tell the students that the class will make a list of how the sisters were different. Draw two circles that partly overlap. Put the name of one of the sisters at the top of the right and left circles. Explain that the part where the circles overlap will list the ways in which Mindy and Mandy were alike.Class discussion
Ask students to look through the story and raise their hands to tell you differences and similarities between the two girls. Write down the traits they name in the appropriate place on the diagram.Ask: “Think about yourself. Are you more like Mindy or Mandy?” Tell them they don’t have to answer out loud. Then say, “If you are more like Mandy, do you think it’s possible to change? Mandy turned into an owl, but do you think she could have changed the way she acted instead and turned into a nice person like her sister?” Listen to their responses.
Tell students that there is an old saying, “What you give out comes back to you.” Ask them to say it out loud together, and tell them that you want them to remember this saying. Call on students to tell you how this saying is a summary of the message of “The Owl.” Ask them to find a sentence near the end of the story that says the same thing. Affirm that it is: “Because you are not generous, life will not be generous with you.” Mention that earlier in the story, the old woman says to Mindy, ”Because you are generous, life will be generous with you.”
Another old saying that means the same thing is “What goes around comes around.” You can show this with a diagram drawn on the board. Say, “Mindy gives love and kindness to others, so others give love and kindness to her. That is why there are always customers in the shop and the baked goods multiply when Mindy is tending the bakery.”
Questions
Ask the students to read the story on their own and answer the Questions at the end. Define the following vocabulary before they read: arched, stingy, raggedy, dough, and checked (the adjective):1. Mindy and Mandy were very different. Can you name five ways they were different from one another?
2. Whom would you rather run into on a cold, wintry night? Mindy or Mandy?
3. If you are a girl, which one would you like to be: Mindy or Mandy? If you are a boy, which one would you like to marry? Mindy or Mandy?
4. Of course, we know no person is going to turn into an owl. But do you think a person’s future might be changed—for good or bad—depending on how nice he or she is to other people?
5. Is it right to laugh at other people’s bad luck and not want to help them when they are in need?
Act out the story
This would be a good story to act out. Have several different actresses play Mindy, Mandy, and the old ragged woman. Perhaps do the story three times, and then have the rest of the class vote on which group conveyed the message of the story best.Assignment
The old woman in the story seemed to have magical powers. She changed the bread dough into a larger loaf of bread, she seemed to bless Mindy with the ability to multiply baked goods and customers, and she turned Mandy into an owl. Think about this: Whenever you meet someone, imagine that person has magical powers. Try treating everyone kindly, the way Mindy treated the old woman.From Discovering the Real Me, Book 3
Share your experiences by clicking on the "Discussion" box at the top of this page and then clicking on "+ New Post." Your comments will appear below.